Manchester United fans staged a protest march outside Old Trafford before the 199th Manchester derby, and inside the stadium supporters unveiled a banner reading 'The way you treat us is a disgrace' as Michael Carrick's side went on to lose to Manchester City.
About 500 fans gathered at The Bishop Blaize pub near the ground at 3pm, an hour and a half before kickoff, and marched to Old Trafford holding banners and setting off flares. The demonstration, organised by protest group The 1958, was aimed at the club's clampdown on ticket touting, which the group says has targeted innocent fans without sufficient evidence.
Discontent has also been building over United's treatment of match-going supporters, with longstanding hatred of the Glazer family increasingly directed at minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos. Both ownership groups came under fire from the marching fans, who only turned their chants toward City once they reached the Munich Tunnel.
Message from the stands
Inside the ground, the Red Army supporters' group, which funds the flags and banners in the Stretford End, chose to display a single banner above the players' tunnel criticising the club's treatment of fans. Carrick addressed the protests directly after the match.
"I definitely appreciate the supporters," Carrick said. "If they do feel that in certain ways, I want to try and make them happy. They are everything for this football club and I'm feeling for them today on the back of losing. I'll never take them for granted. It means a lot to me."
A flat display
Carrick had been trying to repeat his rousing first game in charge of United, a 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola's City in mid-January that kicked off a run of results which returned the club to the Champions League and earned him the job full-time. Instead, this was evidence United remain some way off where they need to be, with European football adding to the strain on their head coach.
United had taken four points from their opening three league games against Hull, Ipswich and Everton, and the derby came three days after their Champions League opener against Sabah. City had two extra days to prepare.
Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute, yet United still posed little threat for more than an hour against 10 men. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both hit the post, one in each half, but it was deep into injury time before Bryan Mbeumo forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into the goalkeeper's only real save of the game.
It was the first time United have failed to score at Old Trafford under Carrick. "In all the games we've won here, we've scored at least two goals," Carrick said. "We've lost one game and we scored in that game. At some point you have a game when we haven't scored, so I can't be too critical of the players. Of course, we would hope for more in general from the team. We could have been a little bit more creative. We could have finished the game better, for sure."
The Sesko call
Carrick's biggest selection decision was recalling Matheus Cunha as a false nine in place of Benjamin Sesko, who had made his first start of the season against Sabah and scored for the second game running. The switch did not pay off. Cunha struggles to offer enough of a threat through the centre, and it was against Sabah, playing from the left flank, that he had scored.
Carrick reverted to that setup when Sesko replaced Youri Tielemans in the 67th minute, but by then City manager Enzo Maresca already had the measure of his opponents.
Shaw's absence felt
United's other problem was the continued absence of Luke Shaw. The club did not sign cover for him in the summer, partly on the strength of Shaw having started every Premier League match last season, but he lasted only four games this season before breaking down. He missed training before the Sabah game, described at the time as a designated day off, and was in the stands both that night and for the derby.
Patrick Dorgu deputised on both occasions. The Dane is not a natural left back, and questions were raised about his positioning when Erling Haaland scored the controversial winner.
Following a £155million rebuild of United's midfield over the summer, defensive and attacking problems have resurfaced quickly, giving the protesting fans one more reason for concern about the direction of the club.
